The present invention relates to the field of educational and training devices and, in particular, to a new and improved training play ball.
Educational and training devices such as standard play balls are extremely common, particularly with young children. A standard play ball, for example a soccer ball, has a spherical shape and is made of an inflatable, high strength inner bladder and an outer casing formed of heavy leather, rubber or other flexible material. The inner bladder is provided with a valve which allows the bladder to be inflated with air, the valve automatically closing to retain the air in the bladder. Volley balls, basketballs and footballs are fabricated in a similar manner.
As children today are increasingly interested in refining their motor skills in various sports at a younger-than-ever age, the toy and game industry has continuously recognized the need for more versatile play balls, which would retain their educational characteristics while combining fun and excitement. Because conventional athletic balls are typically heavy and sometimes dangerous for small children, the toy industry has introduced inflated balls that are larger, lighter, softer and potentially less dangerous. As such, balls in various shapes and sizes are now commercially available which are molded of polyurethane foam material and other light-weight compressible plastics. However, while such balls are safer in the hands of small children, they fail to adjust to the motor development of a particular child trying to learn the intricacies of a specific sport at a specific developmental level.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved novelty play ball for teaching motor skills to children of various ages and at various skill levels. There is also a need for a novelty ball that can be thrown or kicked in a straight path, and that can be readily caught by a young child.
The present invention provides a novelty play ball that is particularly useful for the development of motor-skill coordination in children of all ages. The present invention provides a variable-weight ball having a first inflatable bladder of elastomeric material disposed within or adjacent to a second inflatable bladder. The first inflatable bladder is filled with a first gas while the second inflatable bladder is filled with a second gas with a density different than that of the first gas. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first gas is air and the second gas is an inert gas, for example helium.
The amount of the second gas that fills the second inflatable bladder is inversely proportional with the weight of the ball, which in turn, is directly related to the skill level of a particular child player. For example, when the second inflatable bladder is partially filled with the second gas, the weight of the ball is reduced so that the player has more time to react while learning to juggle the ball. As the player learns the basics and his/her skills improve, a portion of the second gas is released from the second inner bladder, and more first gas is introduced in the first inner bladder. This way, by varying the amount of the gases contained by their respective bladders, the ball can be tailored to the motor skills of the user. At some point, the ball could be filled entirely with the first gas and have the play characteristics of a conventional ball.
The foregoing and other advantages and features of the invention will be better understood from the following detailed description of the invention, which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.